HERE DOGGIE, DOGGIE

One of the stories within the story within the story. Layers making up the whole. Bad guys come in all shapes and attitudes. These two stumble into a world of trouble.

From my recently released crime novel, GROUND EFFECT:

The fence wasn’t very tall but Darrell still had to give a bit of a jump to get his weight balanced on the top. Normy struggled but finally got himself over. They were both on this job, they needed the extra hands. “Watch where you step, Shrimp, there’s dog shit everywhere.”

Darrell clenched his fists and spun on Normy. “Don’t call me that. You want me to call you Tub of Lard?”

Normy had to think about that a minute and said, “No, but…”

Darrell was at the back door and slid down to the doggie flap at the bottom of the door. He pushed it and found it was not latched from the inside. The slightest noise came from the hinge at the top and the inside of the house erupted with the shrill barking of dogs.

“Jeepers, you think there’s more than two?” Normy asked.

Darrell didn’t answer and pulled the flap up and began to work his head and shoulders into the opening. “Shut the hell up, damn dogs!” Darrell yelled. The two Yorkies were at the other end of the kitchen and defending the doorway to the dining room barking and lifting their front feet off the floor in the effort. The noise was piercing, echoing off the tile floor and pounding Darrell’s ears.

“Give us a little push, Normy,” Darrell said back over his shoulder that had jammed into the corner of the opening. Normy bent down on one knee, the .22 punching his fat butt as he grabbed Darrell and shoved the stuck shoulder past the edge.

“Ow!” Darrell complained but when he looked up he could see white Yorkie teeth halfway across the floor, closer and moving toward him. He didn’t want to have to shoot them and Normy had the gun anyway. Darrell pulled himself through and struggled to his feet. From even that short height the dogs didn’t look quite so fierce and he yelled, “Go lay down!”

One Yorkie stopped barking and disappeared back into the dining room but the other stood its ground and kept barking. Darrell slipped the door latch and let Normy in. “You get this one, I’ll find the other.”

Normy looked at the little snarling set of teeth and froze. Darrell simply stepped over the tiny dog and went into the house in search of the other one. Normy finally regained his composure and pulled a pillow case from his back pocket. “Here, doggy. We gonna go for a ride to Jersey…”

The teeth hurt when they sunk into Normy’s hand and he had to whack the dog to get it to stop. He picked it up by the tail and dropped it into the pillow case. The dog stopped barking but feet and nails dug at the cloth bulging in all directions and almost pulling it from Normy’s hands.

Darrell appeared in the dining room doorway with the other dog resting quietly in his arms and said, “Okay, open up the bag.”

Normy held the bouncing pillow case out to Darrell but had it closed tight at the top. Blood dripped onto the cloth from a nasty bite on his hand. “Friggin bit the shit outta me.”

Darrell looked down at the Yorkie in his arms but before he could say something they both heard the front door lock click and the door open.

My daughter had a Shih Tzu/Yorkie mix. Fabulous dog, small but lots of “personality.” She was the inspiration for this scene. Normy and Shrimp are both based on thugs that were part of my past life. Their “mis” adventures continue through the novel.